(a) In order to promote the safety of pupils, comprehensive community planning, and greater educational usefulness of schoolsites, before acquiring title to or leasing property for a new schoolsite, the governing board of each school district, including any district governed by a city board of education, or a charter school, shall give the State Department of Education written notice of the proposed acquisition or lease and shall submit any information required by the State Department of Education if the site is within two miles, measured by air line, of that point on an airport runway or a potential runway included in an airport master plan that is nearest to the site.

(b) Upon receipt of the notice required pursuant to subdivision (a), the State Department of Education shall notify the Department of Transportation in writing of the proposed acquisition or lease. If the Department of Transportation is no longer in operation, the State Department of Education shall, in lieu of notifying the Department of Transportation, notify the United States Department of Transportation or any other appropriate agency, in writing, of the proposed acquisition or lease for the purpose of obtaining from the department or other agency any information or assistance that it may desire to give.

(c) The Department of Transportation shall investigate the site and, within 30 working days after receipt of the notice, shall submit to the State Department of Education a written report of its findings including recommendations concerning acquisition or lease of the site. As part of the investigation, the Department of Transportation shall give notice thereof to the owner and operator of the airport who shall be granted the opportunity to comment upon the site. The Department of Transportation shall adopt regulations setting forth the criteria by which a site will be evaluated pursuant to this section.

(d) The State Department of Education shall, within 10 days of receiving the Department of Transportation’s report, forward the report to the governing board of the school district or charter school. The governing board or charter school may not acquire title to or lease the property until the report of the Department of Transportation has been received. If the report does not favor the acquisition or lease of the property for a schoolsite or an addition to a present schoolsite, the governing board or charter school may not acquire title to or lease the property. If the report does favor the acquisition or lease of the property for a schoolsite or an addition to a present schoolsite, the governing board or charter school shall hold a public hearing on the matter prior to acquiring or leasing the site.

(e) If the Department of Transportation’s recommendation does not favor acquisition or lease of the proposed site, state funds or local funds may not be apportioned or expended for the acquisition or lease of that site, construction of any school building on that site, or for the expansion of any existing site to include that site.

(f) This section does not apply to sites acquired prior to January 1, 1966, nor to any additions or extensions to those sites.

(Amended by Stats. 2005, Ch. 229, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2006.)